It's hard to stay focused when reading a book at a coffee shop. You're deep into
Bel Canto, and suddenly the next table erupts into guffaws. The spell is broken. But it's always easy to find a quiet spot at the Houston Municipal Rose Garden. You can wander around and inhale the scents of a rainbow of roses, putting yourself in a sufficiently dreamy mood before settling down on a blanket with your novel. (If you're anti-grass, there's an ornate Chinese gazebo with benches.) And after hours of reading and relaxing, when the sun begins to set, honest-to-God bunnies materialize from nowhere and hop through the garden, chasing each other.